The present invention relates to an apparatus for guiding a traveling web of textile material during trimming of selvedge therefrom.
One known apparatus for trimming selvedge from a traveling web of textile material includes a web conveying assembly for conveying the web along a generally horizontal travel path and a rotating pin member having a plurality of radially outwardly extending pins for engaging the traveling web to feed it to a cutting device positioned upwardly from the original travel path of the web. To facilitate the impaling of the web on the pins of the rotating pin member, it is known to provide a nip roller disposed relative to the rotating pin member to define a nip therebetween in which the web is moved into engagement with the rotating pin member.
One apparatus which includes a nip roller is disclosed, for example, in German Auslegeschrift 11 99 730. However, such apparatus are susceptible to the risk that the web will move out of engagement with the web conveying assembly before it is engaged by the rotating pin member. Remedial action is then required including, for example, manually guiding the displaced web to the nip between the rotating pin member and the nip roller. One solution for this problem which has been proposed includes substituting a plate-type member for the nip roller, the plate-type member extending over a relatively long extent such as, for example, about 30 centimeters, along the underside of the traveling web. While the plate-type member can be beneficial in urging the traveling web back into position for engagement by the rotating pin member, experience has shown that manual remedial handling of the traveling web is often times still required.
Accordingly, the need exists for an apparatus for automatically guiding a traveling web into engagement with a rotating pin member for feed of the web to a selvedge trimming device that is reliable in operating properly without significant occurrences of mishandling of the web.